The Peru Mahi Alliance (PMA), a pre-competitive partnership of 13 Peruvian mahi mahi companies, will be launched officially on March 14th at the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston, with the presence of major U.S. buyer companies. PMA represents almost 80% of Peru’s mahi mahi exports to the US and is committed to advancing the Peru mahi mahi Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) through activity implementation, political advocacy efforts, and funding.
From his port city of Nha Trang in Vietnam on the South China Sea, we interviewed Stephen Reiss Fisher, Sustainability Director at Sea Delight on the value of joining the sustainability movement, supporting fisheries in transition, and what trends he is seeing from his work at the heart of global seafood supply chain. In 2009, Sea Delight made a commitment to sustainability and created a public company-wide policy. As part of that, Sea Delight continues to assess its seafood purchases again some of the most robust certifications like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The company is also supporting fisheries on their journey toward sustainability by sourcing products from over a dozen Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), including Peru and Ecuador mahi-mahi and Vietnam Handline Tuna FIPs.
Seafood buyers are under increasing pressure to assess and address human rights risks throughout their value chains. In May, FisheryProgress (FP) launched a new Human Rights and Social Responsibility Policy following conversations amongst stakeholders in the seafood movement about improving social responsibility in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). The new policy aims to reduce human and labor rights abuse risks within FIPs and to provide a common framework for reporting on social performance in fisheries.
Building on a decade-long partnership with WWF to drive more sustainable seafood sourcing, Kroger is restating their commitment to increasing seafood sustainability by launching a new, more comprehensive Seafood Sustainability Policy. As the nation’s largest grocer and a leading purchaser of seafood, Kroger’s new policy has the potential to drive even greater impact on wild-caught and farmed seafood systems.
Building on progress achieved on its 2020 seafood sustainability goals, Kroger reaffirms their leadership in the sector by extending commitments to source more sustainable and responsible seafood, including shelf-stable tuna. Their aspiration is to source 100% of the seafood in their fresh and frozen departments from fisheries and farms.
Are you interested in learning how to implement or engage in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), but feel concerned about increasing travel restrictions or have no time to attend lengthy conferences and workshops abroad? No worries. WWF in collaboration with several other organizations have developed an online FIP training platform that provides fishery stakeholders worldwide with the necessary knowledge and skills to transition fisheries toward sustainability
Three years into Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, The Bahamas lobster fishery reports greater resilience, increased local awareness, and reinforced collaboration. The fishery continues to harness the benefits of this important milestone to help preserve its classic turquoise coastline, thriving corals and seagrasses, and colorful marine species that are the staples of this paradisiac Caribbean archipelago.
“Despite the pandemic hardship, the fishery was able to maintain its international markets and continue to support well-needed livelihoods for the fishing community”, explains Mia Isaacs, President of The Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA) which holds the MSC certificate and is a key actor in helping the fishery achieve certification. “We can clearly see the positive impact of MSC certification across stakeholders, fishers, and partners that work together more effectively and are more aware of the importance of sustainable fishing practices”, she adds.
Following more than a decade of collaboration on sustainable seafood, Sysco Corporation and WWF are excited to announce the company’s 2025 seafood sustainability commitments and renewed partnership on more sustainable seafood sourcing. The new commitments build on past success and continue to advance Sysco’s position as a global leader on seafood sustainability, set high standards for the seafood industry, establish long-term sustainability goals, and build consumer trust.
Leading global foodservice distributor Sysco Corporation recently announced in its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report strong progress towards achieving its 2020 seafood sustainability goals.
At the close of 2018, Sysco’s suppliers shared that the company had achieved 93% of its 2020 goal to source 100% of its top 15 wild-caught Sysco Portico Brand seafood products from fisheries that are either MSC-certified, in MSC full assessment, or engaged in a comprehensive Fishery Improvement Project (FIP).
Are you a FisheryProgress subscriber who follows fishery improvement project (FIP)? Can’t wait to see how your favorite FIPs are coming along? If so, you’re in luck! If so, you will soon receive the latest updates directly to your inbox. Starting October 31st, users following FIPs listed on FisheryProgress will receive monthly emails highlighting major changes in those FIPs.
Despite the acute political situation in 2018, which left Nicaragua on its knees both socially and economically, the resilient fishing communities together with the government continued to prioritize the preservation of the spiny lobster, and to drive it towards Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification with the active support of WWF and its corporate partners in the US.
